Attack of the Skies
by Fire of Midnight
Summary: Sky was young when the clans moved to the lake. Though she was young, she never forgot the clans who killed her family to take her home. Hate drives Sky to revenge; she kills clan cats one by one. She's now called Shadow, named by the clans. But she's given an offer; something inside makes her accept. She is playing a dangerous game, but still, finds an emotion she had never felt.
1. Prologue

**Hi, everyone, and welcome to my first fanfic, _Attack of the Skies._ I really hope you enjoy, and please review!**

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Prologue:

 _I will never feel afraid..._

Shadow's heart only slightly sped up as her ears lifted, listening for any movement. Her eyes, blue with a black outline, gleamed with determination and hatred as she stalked closer. Her tail was low, very slightly above the ground, only so that it would not drag. The wind seemed to fall still around her and her target, and she dug her unusually long claws into the ground.

 _You'll regret killing my sister._ Shadow's gaze was directed onto the back of an unsuspecting blue-gray she-cat, who was turned away from her. This was the cat who had killed River, so many moons ago. And after that, Shadow had never been the same.

She was now driven by a force of anger, hatred, and determination.

Shadow was a loner, or rather, a _rogue,_ according to the cats who lived by the lake, in... clans. But though her mother had given her the name Sky, she had given that up as she killed cats of the clans. Why? Because she and her sister had lived by the lake, and when the clan cats entered, they killed her mother and sister, too long ago to remember; she had been barely a kit then.

But she would never forget the faces of those cats, those _killers_. Shadow had vowed revenge on the clans, and she would stay true to her word. But she didn't have a black pelt, as might be expected by a cat of that name. Now that clan cats were disappearing, only to be found dead later on, the clans called the killer "the Shadow"; thus, her name was Shadow.

 _Never forget to look behind you,_ Shadow thought, a smirk plastered across her face as she crept forward, so that she was only a few nose-lengths from the blue-gray she-cat's tail. _Blueshadow, is it?_ she recalled suddenly. _Ah, a pleasure to know your name before you 'go to hunt with StarClan', as your clanmates say._

With a growl, Shadow leaped.

Blueshadow, the blue-gray she-cat, let out a gasp of surprise as Shadow bowled her over with ease. Shadow's paw was planted squarely over her jaws, muffling the yowl that came out. She raked her claws across Blueshadow's soft underbelly, feeling warm blood coat her paws.

Opening her jaws, Shadow scented fear, from Blueshadow. She leaned closer, noticing that Blueshadow's blue eyes had filled with tears of pain and fear.

"You deserve worse than to die," Shadow growled, anger marking her every word. "You, and your 'clans', will pay the price of killing my mother and sister. The clans stole our home, my life, and I will have my revenge."

She lifted her paw from Blueshadow's jaws, in time to see the blue-gray she-cat's mouth form the word _'Shadow'_ as her long claws dragged easily across her throat, digging deep into the base of her neck.

Blood formed a pool around Shadow's paws as she let Blueshadow's limp body fall gracelessly to the forest ground. The clan cat's glazed, clouded eyes proved that she was dead, and that the wound in her throat had been fatal.

 _I will have my revenge!_ Shadow let out a dry laugh. Her thick, gray fur shone in the sunlight, though her paws were stained with Blueshadow's blood. Leaning down, she sniffed at the blue-gray she-cat's body, and the stench of death filled her nostrils. For a few long heartbeats, Shadow simply stood there, her head high, her blue-black eyes filled with a pride and determination.

However, as she lifted her head to the sun, those eyes filled with tears. "Can you hear me now, Mother?" she whispered softly, unmoving. "And you, too, Sister? I've missed you so much!" Her voice, laced with that emotion she almost never showed, grew to a murmur. "I promised you I would take back what was ours, didn't I? This is just my start!" The words tumbled out of her faster and faster. "I will get my revenge, Mother. You too, Sister. The clans will regret it... I promise."

Shadow slowly lowered her head, and her face, contorted with emotion barely heartbeats before, now masked the emotion with a stone, heartless calmness, what the others usually saw in her.

Quickly, she nodded to Blueshadow's limp body, and as she took a step back, she left a bleeding pawprint. Shadow swiped her paws across the moist grass, the cold droplets touching her pads, gradually cleaning the blood off.

Shadow smiled. _I promise._

But the smile vanished from her expression, and the blood seemed to drain out of her. Her ears flattened, and her blue-black eyes blazed as she turned her head, fur bristling, hackles raised. Shadow let out a menacing growl as she faced the newcomer.

It was a tom, a well-built, sturdy, flame-colored cat. He seemed harmless, but Shadow knew better than to trust him. He reeked of the clans, all the more reason to regard him as an enemy. However, as he spoke, something inside Shadow told her to flatten her fur and sheathe her claws. His voice, that was it. Just one word. "Hello."

"Who are you?" Shadow flinched inwardly. That wasn't what she had meant to say. She had wanted to seem slightly friendly, but... it was too late.

The flame-colored cat smiled. "I'm Firebreeze, and I'm the deputy of ThunderClan." Shadow's claws unsheathed, then sheathed again, as she heard the word _ThunderClan._ She had never expected a cat like... like this... a cat so kind... to be a part of the _clans._

"Nice to meet you, then," she mewed, rather curtly.

Firebreeze flicked his tail, then raised it, in a signal for her to stop. Shadow, for some reason, did not find it in her heart to attack this young tom. She was about his age, maybe slightly younger. But something about him... she just found him rather intriguing.

"Are you the _Shadow?"_ Firebreeze took a step towards her, though there was no hint of hatred or anger in his mew.

"I prefer Shadow, thanks." Shadow dipped her head awkwardly as she spoke. It had been a while, a very long while, since she had last engaged in friendly conversation with any cat, let alone a clan cat. "Uh... were you... watching...?" She shot a quick glance at the limp body of Blueshadow. Shadow felt more self-conscious than she ever had before.

Firebreeze gave her a brief nod. "Shadow... I've been watching you for a moon, now, and I think you have the skill you need to be a striker, _the_ striker of ThunderClan." He ran his brilliant green gaze over her slender, gray form.

"And what's in it for me?" Shadow didn't bother to hide the suspicion in her voice.

Firebreeze shook his head slightly. "The life of a clan cat. You will be guaranteed protection from the rest of ThunderClan, if you join us."

"If I don't?"

"There is no _don't,_ Shadow. You must join ThunderClan; our leader needs a striker. It is a severe competition between many cats, and you will not be the only one who _isn't_ part of ThunderClan... yet." Firebreeze's voice shook as he spoke.

"I suppose your _leader_ specifically asked our noble warrior to track me down?" Shadow's mew was bitter.

Firebreeze frowned. "He didn't," he mewed shortly. "Shadow, join ThunderClan," he advised. "You have the right skill, and you should use it wisely, rather than... well..." He flicked his tail towards Blueshadow's limp shape.

"Don't tell me what I can't do." Shadow let out a threatening whisper.

Firebreeze's tail fell. "I'm sorry. Please, Shadow. Join us, and you will not regret it." His voice softened. "That, I promise." Shadow turned away for a heartbeat. Somehow, she wouldn't, she _couldn't_ refuse. She gave Firebreeze a nod, stepping to his side.

"My father is the leader, and I am his deputy," Firebreeze explained, a touch of pride in his voice. "But he doesn't know I'm recruiting you. He knows that there is a 'Shadow' but he doesn't know that it's... you. The entire clan thought you were older... and more, well... _dark._ So you will be under a false name. Anything you prefer?"

"Sky." Shadow nodded as she spoke. This was her former name, and it would keep any memory of her mother and sister in her mind.

Firebreeze looked slightly surprised at her decisive tone, but nodded. "Only if win, _Sky,_ your father will know your real name. For now, you are just Sky. Now, come on out, Ashflame. You and I can escort Shadow to our camp."

As Shadow watched, a gray tom, not much older than she, padded out of the bushes with a nod. His tail rose as his blue gaze met hers, and Shadow felt her heart warm, the same way it had when she met Firebreeze, and she looked away.

"I'm Ashflame." Ashflame stepped to her side. "I'm _really_ looking forward to engaging with the _Shadow."_ Shadow flattened her ears. She knew this wasn't a threat, but rather a dry statement, and she flattened her ears slightly.

"Nice to meet you, too." She grinned for the first time in moons and let him fall in beside her, a skeptical look on his face. Firebreeze nodded approvingly, but Shadow saw something else in his gaze, though she couldn't tell what it was. _Huh?_

"Now, come along. You can try and succeed to become ThunderClan's striker." Firebreeze flicked his tail, and the three of them padded into the undergrowth.

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 **Thank you so much for reading! I'll try to update as soon as possible. Again, please, read and review.**

 **~Fire of Midnight**


	2. Chapter 1

**I hope you all loved that chapter, really! This is my first fanfic, so thank you all for reading!**

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 **Anyway, I'm replying to reviews before I get to the story.**

 ** _Foxtail of StormClan:_** _Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Well, you'll figure out in this chapter. :D_

 _ **Firestream of Ice:** Wow! That is one long review! (But I don't mind :D) Yeah, I'm explaining that in this chapter. It was just the prologue, so you couldn't expect much to be revealed there. Yeah, I realized that, too, about Firebreeze's name. But the name 'Firestorm' is too common, and he's one of the main characters (other than Shadow, duh). Yeah, I'll be calling her Shadow throughout, so you can do the same. I don't want to spoil it by answering the question about who Shadow is closer to... Anyway, thank you! (This was a long answer for a long review!)_

 _ **Honeyflame:** Thank you so much!_

 ** _Spirit of Sunlight:_** _Thanks! Please keep reviewing._  


 ** _Hollyflame:_** _Here it is!_

 ** _Leafsky:_** _Thank you! I appreciate your enthusiasm._

 ** _Light of Blue Fire:_** _Yeah. I did in this chapter, you'll see!_

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 **Now, onto the actual story...**

Chapter 1:

Shadow stalked out of Snowstar's den without a word. Firebreeze had simply introduced him to her, and Snowstar had nodded his consent for her to stay and participate. Well, it wasn't really consent. According to Firebreeze and Ashflame, Snowstar didn't really have to approve her, as she was a competitor.

So Firebreeze and Ashflame were the only ones who really knew who she was.

"What happens now?" she asked Firebreeze.

The ginger tom nodded. "In a few heartbeats, Snowstar will gather all of today's arrivals and greet them by their _new_ names." Shadow titled her head back, so she was staring upwards. The sky was blood-red, and the sun had already fallen behind the mountains in the distance.

" _New_ names?" Shadow widened her eyes, lowering her head again to look at Firebreeze in the eye. "What do you mean? Snowstar's going to give us new names?" She lashed her tail, and Firebreeze took a step back before letting out a sigh.

"Yeah, new names." Firebreeeze nodded. "You all will be given apprentice names, and then, the night before the competition, you'll receive warrior names." Shadow let out a growl, her blue-black eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I knew this was a bad idea." _I'm not changing my name! Sky is bad enough!_

"Don't say that in front of Snowstar," Ashflame chimed in, padding to Shadow's side. "He'll be angered."

"Why should I care?" Shadow tossed her head, her eyes blazing. Her unsheathed claws scrabbled at the ground, and she flicked her tail, shaking out her gray fur. "I should never have come. It was a stupid idea. What _is_ a striker, anyway?"

"I told you," Ashflame growled; he barreled into her, taking her by surprise, and pressed barely sheathed claws against her throat, "not to insult the clans." Shadow hissed and surged upwards, throwing Ashflame off with ease and sitting up, curling her tail around her paws as though nothing had happened.

"That's enough," Firebreeze growled.

Shadow rolled her eyes. "Yes, O Great Deputy," she drawled. This time, Ashflame couldn't stop his purr, though as Shadow glanced questioningly at him, he tried to hide it with a cough. "Well, what is a striker?"

Both Ashflame and Firebreeze looked uncomfortable. "You see..." Firebreeze began. "A striker is sort of like my father - Snowstar's - fighter, who carries out any fight or death that he wishes." Instead of being horrified, Shadow widened her eyes in interest.

"Oh." Shadow nodded calmly. "Interesting. So Snowstar's a killer, too?"

Ashflame thrust his muzzle into her face. "Never insult Snowstar in front of any ThunderClan cat." However, Shadow detected mild amusement in his voice as he pulled away, blinking awkwardly. Firebreeze looked ready to thrust himself between the two of them, but Ashflame broke away from her on his own.

"No." Firebreeze's voice was firm. "If Snowstar believes that a certain cat is a traitor, the striker... acts."

"Simple enough." Shadow dipped her head.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" A yowl made Shadow flatten her ears and look in the direction of the sound. A pure white tom with black paws was perched on a large boulder. Snowstar.

"This has been happening almost every day for the last... ten days, you see." Firebreeze lifted his tail. "Tomorrow is the last day for any new competitors to arrive." Ashflame had vanished among a crowd of cats, and Firebreeze's tail gently touched her shoulder, then whisked away. Shadow stared at him in surprise, but he had looked away. "Come on."

Shadow watched as Firebreeze bounded into the crowd of cats, then followed, more slowly. Ashflame appeared beside her. "The new competitors sit over _there."_ He pointed with his tail to where two other cats sat: a she-cat and a tom.

Scowling at him, Shadow turned and padded over to the other cats, who stood as they saw her. "Hello." The she-cat stepped forward, dipping her head politely. "I'm Abigail." She sniffed her light brown tabby fur before settling down again.

The tom lifted his head, puffing out his chest slightly. "I'm Blaze."

"Where do you two come from?" Shadow resisted the urge to snort. The she-cat's name was ridiculous, and the tom's... still ridiculous, but not so much. It was Blaze who spoke first, shaking his golden fur out.

"I come from... well, I'm a... I lived in a small group of five cats, including myself. And then, I came here." Blaze shrugged as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Shadow turned to Abigail, tipping her head to one side.

"I lived with my housefolk." Abigail's bottom jaw quivered slightly. "But they never cared for me. They just left me outside. So I learned to hunt and fight on my own." A spark of determination lit her eyes. "After I fought off a rogue, one of the cats here, that one-" she pointed her paw towards a black tom "-brought me here."

Shadow pricked her ears. _Interesting. But she doesn't look too dangerous. An easy target._ She flicked her tail, slightly turning her head to the top of the Highledge. "Uh..." Blaze looked and sounded slightly uncomfortable. "And who are you?" Shadow turned back abruptly at the question.

"Oh, right." She swished her tail from side to side, only half-listening. "I'm Sh-Sky." Abigail shot her a skeptical look, but didn't reply. Abruptly changing the conversation, she pointed her tail towards the Highledge. "Snowstar's speaking."

And she was right. "Today, three new competitors have decided to join us," the white tom growled evenly. "Abigail, Blaze, and Sky." As her name, her _former_ name, was spoken, Shadow dug her long claws into the ground. "Each must receive a new apprentice name in order to participate, however, and those names will become warrior names the night before the competition." _I know._

Abigail looked slightly nervous, and Shadow noticed that she was shaking.

"Abigail, step forward." Shadow watched as the lithe brown tabby took a pace forward, still shaking slightly. Her fur was bristling, slightly, too. "From this moment onwards, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Leafpaw." _Strange name._

The newly-named Leafpaw looked around, worriedly.

"As every competitors has two guardians, yours will be Blackstrike-" he looked towards the cat who Abigail had mentioned earlier "-and Swiftmoon." The black tom, as well as a black-and-white she-cat, stepped towards Leafpaw, who looked completely confused as they wound around her.

"Blaze, step forward." The golden-brown tom did so, confidently. "From this moment onwards, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lionpaw." _So every 'apprentice' has the word 'paw' at the end..._ Shadow realized.

"Silverslash," Snowstar mewed calmly, and a scarred silver she-cat padded to Lionpaw's side, "and Lightstep." A light gray tom joined Silverslash and padded over to the golden-brown tom. "You will both be guardians and mentors for Lionpaw."

Then, Snowstar turned his blue gaze onto Shadow, and she met it evenly with icy calmness. The white tom gave her a small nod of approval. "Sky, step forward." Shadow did so, obediently but reluctantly. Her tail was low, only slightly above the ground, as she lifted her head challengingly. "From this moment onwards, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stormpaw."

 _What? I thought I would be Skypaw for sure!_

"Ashflame and... uh..." Snowstar began.

A certain ginger tom stepped forward, meeting Shadow's gaze for a heartbeat before looking up at the leader. "I will join Ashflame in mentoring Sh-Stormpaw," Firebreeze mewed, raising his tail. Snowstar looked surprised, but nodded.

"Very well. Ashflame and Firebreeze, you will be Stormpaw's guardians, so make sure she is ready when the time comes." Snowstar dipped his head staring directly at Shadow, who stared back threateningly. Something inside Shadow made her proudly puff out her chest as the clan called out the newest competitors' names.

"Leafpaw! Lionpaw! Stormpaw!"

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 **Thanks for reading this chapter! Who do you like more, Abigail (Leafpaw) or Blaze (Lionpaw)?**

 **Please review!**

 **~Fire of Midnight**


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